The Investigative Committee announced plans to posthumously psychoanalyze a high-ranking anti-corruption official whose plunge from a sixth-floor window during an interrogation last month sparked speculation of foul play.
Major General Boris Kolesnikov, former deputy head of the Interior Ministry's anti-corruption department, had been one of the Investigative Committee's primary suspect in a high-profile organized crime case involving the anti-corruption department. He fell to his death during an interrogation connected with the case on June 16.
Though investigators had initially decided against launching a criminal case over his mysterious demise, they stopped short of ruling it a suicide, lawyer Georgy Antonov, who represents the deceased Kolesnikov, said in comments carried by Kommersant on Thursday.
Rather than closing the case altogether, they ordered a comprehensive psychological examination of Kolesnikov's entire life, going back to his childhood.
According to Kommersant, the Investigative Committee has now extended their probe into his death by another 30 days, and will include interviews with Kolesnikov's colleagues, friends and relatives, as well as his former doctors.
In a rather unorthodox move, psychologists will be tasked with conducting a large-scale examination of Kolesnikov's behavior and habits to determine his state of mind at the time of his death.
The analysis will aim to determine whether or not his alleged dive from a balcony was done on an impulse, or with full awareness of the consequences.
In the wake of Kolesnikov's death, reports circulated that he had previously attempted suicide and suffered from a nasty cocaine habit, leading some to argue that his history of erratic behavior militated against allegations of foul play.
Many of Kolesnikov's family and friends, however, expressed suspicion about the circumstances of his death and speculated that he may have been pressured to jump.
Veteran human rights activist Lyudmila Alexeyeva called for an independent investigation into his death at the time, referring to the situation as "very strange."
The Investigative Committee has not yet commented on the probe's extension.
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